Support for cake of material



March 24, 1964 s v 3,125,824

SUPPORT FOR CAKE OF MATERIAL A Filed Aug. 5, 1960 3 Sheets-Sheet l ROBERT B. STAVER INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS March 24, 1964 R. B. STAVER 3,125,824

SUPPORTFOR CAKE OF MATERIAL Filed Aug. 5, 1960 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 ROBERT E STAVER INVENTOR.

WWJ M ATTORNEYS March 24, 1964 R. B. STAVER SUPPORT FOR CAKE OF MATERIAL 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Aug. 5, 1960 ROBERTNB. STAVER VENTOR.

ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,125,824 SUPFORT FOR CAKE F MATERIAL Robert B. Staver, Los Altos, -Calif., assignor to National Products Corporation, a corporation of California Filed Aug. 5, 196b, Ser. No. 47,766 14 Claims. (CI. 4528) This invention relates generally to a support for a body of material of the type which is worn in use, and more particularly to a support for a body of soap.

In my copending application Serial No. 804,283, filed April 6, 1959, entitled Cake of Material and Handle, of which this is a continuation-in-part, there is described a body of material, for example, a cake of soap, which is adapted to operate on an object being treated. The body of material is attached to a holding means which extends upwardly from the side of the material opposite that which operates on an object being treated. Said holding means includes a slender stem which is made so that it can be held comfortably in the'crotch between two adjacent fingers. One end of the holding means is adapted to hold the body of material, while the other end extends upwardly between the fingers. (Usually, the upper end of the holding means includes a head which facilitates holding by the hand and support of the article. In use, the material is generally held with the stem comfortably nested in the crotch between adjacent fingers. The adjacent surface of the material may rest against the under surface of the fingers and the palm of the hand. The ends of the fingers may curl over the edge in a comfortable relaxed manner.

It is desirable to be able to support or hang soap [when not in use not only for convenience, but also so that erosion by water is minimized and so that the soap cake dries relatively quickly. For other materials, it may be desirable to support the same when not in use for convenience in storage. The body of material should be supported in such a manner that the hand can be extended towards the same with the adjacent fingers slightly spread for nesting the slender stem in the crotch between them with minimum interference from the means of support.

It is a general object of the present invention to provide a support for a body of material together with the type of holding means described in which interference with the hand is minimized during removal of the body of material from and placement in cooperation with the support.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a support means which cooperates with an intermediate support means located usually at or near the top of the holding means to support the body of material and holding means together with the intermediate support means from a support with minimum interference and inconvenience while the intermediate support means is placed in and removed from cooperation with the support.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a support for a body of material in which the support means and intermediate support means minimize the possibility of disloding and dropping the material during grasping and release.

Another object of the invention is to provide a body of material and holding means which includes intermediate supporting means at the free end of the holding means for removably supporting the article from a support and which cooperates with a support in such a manner that there is minimum interference with the hand.

The foregoing and other objects of the invention will become more clearly apparent from the following description when taken in conjunction with the-accompanying drawing.

meral l4.

ably interfere with support of the object.

3,125,824 Patented Mar. 24., 1964 Referring to the drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view showing a body of material with holding means including intermediate support means at the upper end of the holding means for supporting the material in cooperation with a support;

FIGURE 2 shows the intermediate support means of FIGURE 1 cooperating with a support;

first portion being engageable with the support;

FIGURE 9 shows an intermediate support means suitable for use with supports and with a separable portion of an intermediate support means of the types shown in FIGURES 6, 7 and 8;

FIGURES l0, 11, 12 and 13 show various types of magnetic intermediate support means and support means;

FIGURE 14 shows a suction type supporting assembly;

FIGURES 15, 16 and 17 show a crotched support and cooperating intermediate support means;

FIGURE 18 shows another magnetic supporting means and detachable holding means portion; and

FIGURE 19 shows an intermediate support means adapted to cooperate with a support of the type shown in FIGURE 7 and with an intermediate support means portion such as shown in FIGURE 8.

Referring to FIGURES 1 and 2, the body of material 11 which may, for example, be soap, includes a surface 12 adapted to operate on an object and a surface 13 adapted to cooperate with a holding means. Soap is meant to include any soap-like cleansing material. The holding means is designated generally by reference nu- It includes a lower portion 16 which is adapted to form intimate contact with the adjacent surface 13 of the material 11. The central portion of the holding means 14 includes a slender stem 17 which is adapted to be grasped in the crotch between adjacent fingers '18 (FIGURE 2). The upper end of the holding means includes a head 19. The upper surface of the head con tains a recess 21, which provides an edge 22 adapted to rest on or engage with a support 23 as shown in FIG- URE 2. The recess formed in the upper surface of the head provides a means whereby only the peripheral edge 22 contacts the support. Thus, any moderate unevenness or roughness in the supporting surface does not appreci- The body of material is then supported by inverting and resting the peripheral edge 22 of the head on the support means 23. Thus, for this mode of support, the peripheral edge 22 of the head becomes. the intermediate support means. It is seen that the surfaces of said intermediate support "means that cooperate with said support means lie in a substantially flat plane, as shown in FIGURES 1 and 2.

The head should have sufiioient diametrical width so that the article has reasonable stability, that is, that the center of gravity is sufficiently within the peripheral edge of the tflan'ge. The object is then stably supported and not easily tipped over by vibratory or jarring forces, or by contact of the hand during grasping and release of the body of material. For good stability of an article of the type described to be supported as shown in FIG- URE 2, the'maximum cross-dimension of the cooperating surfaces of the intermediate support means with the support means should ordinarily be no less than twenty-five percent of the maximum cross-dimension of the body of material measured in approximately the same plane of orientation. It is further to be observed that in placing the combination excluding the support means on the support means in its inverted position and in grasping the same, the fingers are relatively free of both the intermediate support means and the support means.

Referring to FIGURE 3, the holding means is pro vided with an intermediate support means 25 which includes an upwardly extending finger 26 terminating in a knob 27 which may be spherical, as shown. The intermediate support means 25 is adapted to engage the region of the crotch 28 formed in the outwardly extending arm 2) of the support means or bracket 31. The bracket is adapted to be secured to an adjacent surface such as a wall, drainboard, basin or the like. The arm 2% extends outwardly a distance which provides clearance for the body of material so that it does not come in contact with the adjacent Wall or bracket. It is to be noted that the fingers of the hand can easily be extended into grasping or holding relationship with the holding means without coming in contact with the two cooperating supporting means.

Herein, the term engage is to be interpreted broadly in its relation to interaction between the intermediate support means and a support means. It may mean to fit into, to mesh, to connect, to rest on, to attach or to fasten to, to hang from, and more generally to cooperate with. Unless indicated to the contrary, such engagement will also be assumed to mean that it is not permanent; that disengagement is possible.

In FIGURE 4 there is shown a supporting bracket or support means 31a which includes a resilient cavity 32 adapted to fit over and hold the knob 30. The term support means may be used to refer generally to the entire support, or to that portion of the support that cooperates with the intermediate support means.

In FIGURES and 6, there are shown alternative supporting means in which the weight of the object serves to support the same on a bracket. Thus, in FIGURE 5, the bracket extends either upwardly from a horizontal surface 33 or from a wall or other non-horizontal surface. The support means 310 includes a recess 34 adapted to receive the finger or pin 36 of the intermediate support means. In FIGURE 6, the support means or holder includes a finger or pin 37 which is adapted to interfit into the recess 33 of the intermediate support means formed on the end of the holding means. The pin or recess may be longitudinally grooved 40 (FIG- URE 5) to provide pressure relief. It is further to be observed that in placing the object on the support in its inverted position and in grasping the body material in its accustomed position of use in the hand, the fingers are relatively free of the support.

Referring to FIGURE 7, the support means includes a downwardly extending finger or pin 41 which terminates in a knob or sphere 42. Preferably, the knob 42 is split in some way such as shown at 43 or otherwise adapted to provide resiliency. The knob is adapted to snap into the spherical cavity 44 of the intermediate support means formed in the end of the holding means 14. Said cavity may be of other configuration and may have flexible portions that would snap over a knob or other protuberance so as to effect readily releasable support of the article.

Referring to FIGURE 8, a support means of the type shown in FIGURE 3 cooperates with an intermediate support means portion 46 which terminates in two balllike knobs 47 and 48. The knob 43 may be split such as shown at 43 in FIGURE 7 so as to snap into the cavity 51 of the intermediate support means formed in the upper end of the holding means, while the other knob is adapted to engage the crotch region of a holding means or cavity such as shown in FIGURES 8 and 4, respectively. The recess in the holding means may be formed as shown at 52 in FIGURE 9 whereby the intermediate support means may cooperate with supports of the type shown in FIGURES 6, 7 or 8.

Magnetic means may cooperate with the upper end of the holding means for supporting the cake of material with minimum interference with the hand. Thus, in FIG- URE 10, the upper end of the handle is provided with an insert 53 formed of magnetic material. The insert (intermediate support means) cooperates with the magnet (support means) 54- secured to a suitable bracket. In FIGURE 11, the configuration of the holding means is similar to that shown in FIGURES 1 and 2 but includes magnetic material (intermediate support means) 56 in the periphery of the flange or head. The magnetic material cooperates with the magnet (support means) 57 to support the article. Furthermore, the magnet is recessed in such a manner that the edges 58 of the recess extend to a position outwardly from the peripheral edge of the flange. Thus, upon grasping, there can be no substantial sliding or sideward displacing movement of the article supported so that it can be easily grasped without dislodgement or dropping. A similar result is obtained in FIGURE 10 by recessing the magnetic material 53. This is an important consideration because many people, inadvertently or through poor coordination, would often knock the supported article from the support.

The magnet (support means) may be in the form of a partial sphere 61 as in FIGURE 12 which cooperates with a near hemispherical recess (intermediate support means) 64 of magnetic material placed in the holding means. This arrangement not only prevents lateral slipping but also allows the article to swing or rotate relatively freely, thus further tending to minimize the chances of accidental dislodgement. Said sphere might also be a segment of a sphere, with a cooperating intermediate support means to fit thereto. It is important that the forces of magnetic attraction be not so great as to make disengagement of the intermediate support means from the support means either difiicult or inconvenient. For the type of support shown in FIGURE 12, it would be preferable that the force of attraction be not so great as to prevent the article from rotating downward to a vertical or near-vertical position under the influence of gravity force.

In certain instances there could be a tendency for the magnetic forces to be overcome by jarring movement.

To provide resiliency or spring to the support means, the magnet may be supported from a spring or other resilient means 63 as shown in FIGURE 13. There can be sidewise motion upon striking of the body of material, a swinging motion and a limited vertical motion.

It is apparent that any of the magnets illustrated can be resiliently supported. Furthermore, the role of magnet and magnetic material can be interchanged.

The upper end of the handle 66 may be formed to co operate with suction means 67 such :as shown in FIGURE 14. Obviously, the position of these cooperating surfaces may be reversed.

An arm which is generally V-shaped in vertical section and which is bifurcated so as to provide a slot, tennimating in a crotch or seat of the slot, located at the apex of the V is shown in FIGURES 15 and 16. If the outwardly extending finger portions 71 of the slot are suffioiently thin and cooperate with the outer edge of the head or flange, then there is at most only slight interference with the fingers 74 and 75 as they are inserted under the finger portions of the support 71 to grasp the holding means. Preferably, the end of the slot is formed to provide a diver g or generally V-shaped guide '72 as in FIGURE 17 for guiding the slender protuberance into the slot and crotch. This is of special and unique advantage for effecting and improving the support of the holding means depicted for the reason that, due to the generally V-shaped cross-section of the underside portion of the head which cooperates with the support means, initial engagement of the outermost portion of the head with the support can occur with the article including holding means being moved readily in a generally straight path into the support slot and crotch. This improves the efiiciency of the act of engagement besides providing a more effective support. Or expressed in a converse sense, for a horizontal support such as shown in FIGURE but having a fiat shaped vertical cross-section, outward sliding usually does not tend to lower the article appreciably, if at all. So, it would not tend to slide outward.

In certain instances it may be desirable to provide a removable holding means as well as intermediatesupport means. Referring to FIGURE 18, the support means includes a magnet 76. The holding means includes a slender member 77 having a metal element 84 which cooperates with the supporting means which is axially movable within the holding means and which includes an enlarged portion 78 at its lower end. The enlarged portion is adapted to ride against the adjacent surface 79 of the holding means. Downward motion of the member 77 spreads the fingers 81 to release the mushroom shaped pin 82 and thereby release the holding means from the element afiixed to the cake of material. FIGURE 19 shows a holding means which includes a spherical recess 36 for cooperating with a knob of the type described above. It is to be noted in the several drawings, e.g. FIGURES 6, 7, 9, 10, ll, 12, 13 and 14, that more than one intermediate support means may be incorporated into the article to be supported, thus providing the user with a choice of support means.

It is to be noted that in FIGURE 3 the intermediate support means 25 is attached to but fundamentally separate from the holding means. On the other hand, the intermediate suport means may, in some instances, be part of the holding means. Referring to FIGURE 16, it is understandable that sometimes in holding a cake of material, the upper sides of fingers 74 and 75 may come into contact with those portions of the undersides of the head that might serve as intermediate support means as shown in said figure. However, special note should be made of the fact that in every instance shown in FIGURES 2 through 19, the hand holding the body of material by its holding means may engage the intermediate support means with and remove it from the support means, not only without any substantial interference between the hand so occupied and the two cooperating supporting means, but also with said hand holding said article in its accustomed position for use with the slender stem of the holding means clasped in the crotch region between two adjacent fingers and without the necessity of having to appreciably change this grip or of hav ing to transfer said article to the other hand to facilitate the storage of same on the support means. Also, in retrieving said article from these support means, the article may be grasped substantially in its normal using position immediately upon taking ahold of same for purposes of removing the intermediate support means from engagement with the support means.

I claim:

1. In combination, a body of material of a size to be grasped by the hand and manipulated thereby, said body having an upper surface portion; and means for holding said body of material including a slender stem portion, extending upwardly from the upper surface portion of said body, said stem being sufficiently slender to be positioned in the crotch of and squeezed between two adjacent fingers of a hand without spreading said fingers to an uncomfortable degree, a head provided at the upper end of said stem, said head extending laterally therefrom, the under surface of said head and the opposed surface beneath the same being spaced apart a distance sufiicient to accommodate the said adjacent fingers of said hand and generally converging inwardly towards said stern whereby to fit snugly on fingers of different sizes; a support means; and intermediate support means disposed generally at the upper end of said holding means adapted to cooperate with said support means to support the combination excluding said support means therefrom, these two means of support, when in and while being placed in and removed from cooperation, leaving said stem portion, and the space lying generally outwardly from said stem, substantially unobstructed thereby enabling said intermediate support means to be engaged with and removed from said support means conveniently and with substantially no interference therefrom while said holding means is engaged in the crotch between said fingers, the portions of the holding means that cooperate with the two adjacent engaging fingers being substantially surfaces of revolution about the longitudinal axis passing through the stern thereby enabling said holding means to be positioned in any orientation about said axis while held the crotch formed by said fingers; and wherein the intermediate support means and the support means are of such cooperating configuration that the combination less the support means may be supported by the support means in any orientation about said longitudinal axis.

2. In combination, a body of material of a size to be grasped by the hand and manipulated thereby, said body having an upper surface portion; and means for holding said body of material including a slender stern portion, extending upwardly from the upper surface portion of said body, said stem being sufliciently slender to be positioned in the crotch of and squeezed between two adjacent fingers of a hand without spreading said fingers to an uncomfortable degree, a head provided at the upper end of said stem, said head extending laterally therefrom, the under surface of said head and the opposed surface beneath the same being spaced apart a distance suflicient to accommodat-e the said adjacent fingers of said hand and generally converging inwardly towards said stem whereby to fit snugly on lingers of different sizes, the center of gravity of the body of material being so located with respect to the central stem portion of the holding means that, with the hand held generally downward, the mass of the body of material produces a turning moment of force about the vicinity of the central stern portion that is held between the fingers which causes a force-couple to be imparted -by the combination against the hand, whereby to cause the combination to assume a self-locking grip with the hand held almost completely relaxed; a support means; and intermediate support means disposed generally at the upper end of said holding means adapted to cooperate with said support means to support the combination excluding said support means therefrom, these two means of support, when in and while being placed in and removed from cooperation, leaving said stem portion, and the space lying generally outwardly from said stern, substantially unobstructed thereby enabling said intermediate support means to he engaged with and removed from said support means conveniently and with substantially no interference therefrom while said holding means is engaged in the crotch between said fingers in substantially the aforesaid intended way for use of the article.

3. The combination as in claim ,2. wherein those portions of the holding means that cooperate with the two adjacent fingers engaged in the intended way are substantially surfaces of revolution about the longitudinal axis passing through the stem thereby enabling said holding means to be positioned in any orientation about said axis while held within the crotch formed by said fingers;

and wherein the intermediate support means and the support means are of such cooperating configuration that the combination less the support means may be supported by the support means in any orientation with respect to said longitudinal axis.

4. The combination as in claim 3 wherein the body of material contains soap-like material.

5. A combination of the character described ior sup porting a body of material of the type which includes a surface adapted to operate on an object and a holding means having a lower portion secured to the opposite surface of said body, said holding means having a slender stem portion extending upwardly from said lower portion enabling said stem to be held the crotch of and squeezed between two adjacent fingers of a hand without spreading said fingers to an uncomfortable degree when the article is in use, said combination comprising said body of material; said holding means; a support means; and intermediate support means disposed generally upwardly from said stem portion to cooperate with the support means to support the article therefrom, while leaving said stem portion, and the space lying generally outwardly from said stem, substantially unobstructed whereby said intermediate support means may be engaged with or removed from said support means conveniently while said holding means is engaged in the crotch between said fingers.

6. The combination as in claim 5 wherein the body of material contains erodible material, the slender stem is substantially symmetrical and is sufficiently slender to be positioned in any orientation in the crotch of two adjacent fingers, and a head is carried at the upper end of said stem.

7. In combination, a body of material of a size to be grasped by the hand and manipulated thereby, said body having an upper surface portion; and means for holding said body of material including a slender stem, extending upwardly from the upper surface portion of said body, said stem being sufficiently slender to be positioned in the crotch of and squeezed between two adjacent fingers of a hand without spreading. said fingers to an uncomfortable degree, a head provided at the upper end of said stem, said head extending laterally therefrom, the under surface of said head and the opposed surface beneath the same being spaced apart a distance sufficient to accommodate the adjacent fingers of said hand and generally converging inwardly towards said stem whereby to fit snugly on fingers of different sizes; a support means; and intermediate support means disposed generally at the upper end of said holding means adapted to cooperate with said support means to support the combination excluding said support means therefrom, these two means of support, when in and while being placed in and removed from cooperation, leaving said stem portion, and the space lying generally outwardly from said stem, substantially unobstructed thereby enabling said intermediate support means to be engaged with and removed from said support means conveniently and with substantially no interference therefrom while said holding means is engaged in substantially the using position in the crotch between the said fingers.

8. The combination as in claim 1 wherien said body of material contains soap.

9. The combination as in claim 1 wherein the cooperating surfaces of said intermediate support means with the support means lie in a substantially flat plane located upwardly from the stem portion of said holding means and in a generally normal position with reference to the vertical axis through the body of material and holding means whereby said combination excluding said support means may be inverted so as to be supported on a support means comprised of a substantially fiat surface.

10. The combination as in claim 9 wherein the maximum cross-dimension of the cooperating surfaces of said intermediate support means with the support means is no less than twenty-five percent of the maximum crossdimension of said body of material in the same general direction of orientation.

11. The combination as in claim 8 wherein an inter mediate support means is centrally located generally upwardly from said holding means wherein this intermediate support means does not extend above any other portion of the combination, excluding the support means from said combination.

12. The combination as in claim 9 wherein the upper portion of said head contains an upwardly opening recess and wherein the material of at least the upper portion of said head is suiiiciently firm to minimize deformation of the recess when the article is placed in an inverted position on a solid flat surface.

13. The combination as in claim 7 wherein the support means includes a slotted portion adapted to cooperate with the underside of the head wherein the portion of the support means forming the slot comprises spaced relatively wide fingers which are inclined upwardly away from the slot suificiently {far so as to minimize interference between the support means and the fingers engaged with said holding means, said slot being of such width that the head cannot be pulled through the slot.

14. The combination as in claim 13 wherein the slot opens outwardly to guide the intermediate support means into engagement with the support means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,926,728 Lamb Sept. 12, 1933 1,975,016 Nassif Sept. 25, 1934 2,307,752 Anderson Jan. 12, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS 232,377 :Switzerland May 20 1942 462,425 Italy Mar. 17, 1951 567,780 France Mar. 10, 1924 

1. IN COMBINATION, A BODY OF MATERIAL OF A SIZE TO BE GRASPED BY THE HAND AND MANIPULATED THEREBY, SAID BODY HAVING AN UPPER SURFACE PORTION; AND MEANS FOR HOLDING SAID BODY OF MATERIAL INCLUDING A SLENDER STEM PORTION, EXTENDING UPWARDLY FROM THE UPPER SURFACE PORTION OF SAID BODY, SAID STEM BEING SUFFICIENTLY SLENDER TO BE POSITIONED IN THE CROTCH OF AND SQUEEZED BETWEEN TWO ADJACENT FINGERS OF A HAND WITHOUT SPREADING SAID FINGERS TO AN UNCOMFORTABLE DEGREE, A HEAD PROVIDED AT THE UPPER END OF SAID STEM, SAID HEAD EXTENDING LATERALLY THEREFROM, THE UNDER SURFACE OF SAID HEAD AND THE OPPOSED SURFACE BENEATH THE SAME BEING SPACED APART A DISTANCE SUFFICIENT TO ACCOMMODATE THE SAID ADJACENT FINGERS OF SAID HAND AND GENERALLY CONVERGING INWARDLY TOWARDS SAID STEM WHEREBY TO FIT SNUGLY ON FINGERS OF DIFFERENT SIZES; A SUPPORT MEANS; AND INTERMEDIATE SUPPORT MEANS DISPOSED GENERALLY AT THE UPPER END OF SAID HOLDING MEANS ADAPTED TO COOPERATE WITH SAID SUPPORT MEANS TO SUPPORT THE COMBINATION EXCLUDING SAID SUPPORT MEANS THEREFROM, THESE TWO MEANS OF SUPPORT, WHEN IN AND WHILE BEING PLACED IN AND REMOVED FROM COOPERATION, LEAVING SAID STEM PORTION, AND THE SPACE LYING GENERALLY OUTWARDLY FROM SAID STEM, SUBSTANTIALLY UNOBSTRUCTED THEREBY ENABLING SAID INTERMEDIATE SUPPORT 